Theme Park Visitors: Ditch Maps for Apps

Boasting five of the 10 most-visited theme parks in the world, Florida attracts more than 70 million thrill-seeking visitors each year. The combination of mobile technology and a powerful network has many tourists ditching bulky park maps for mobile apps that help them avoid long lines, find the best food and drinks and locate their cars when the day is done.

Planning a theme park trip? Here are a few apps to help maximize your fun and time:

Disney Parks Mobile Magic provides wait times; directions to characters, shows and restaurants; and mobile Disney games for the road. And, the app gives you access to information on every Disney Theme Park.

For those who love water rides and ocean life, the SeaWorld app provides wait time and show time updates and connects users to SeaWorld’s Facebook, Twitter and blog feeds. It also has an in-app camera that allows you to take photos without leaving the app.

Traveling to the Tampa area? Try the Busch Gardensapp to map out direct routes within the park; check show times and find your car in the parking lot at the end of your visit.

And for those hitting multiple theme parks, there’s the RideHopper app, which provides wait times for more than 4,300 rides across the world by collecting submissions from visitors at more than 250 theme parks and sharing them as a free resource.

So, before planning a visit to one of Florida’s great theme parks, check to see if it offers any mobile apps to help you make the most of your visit.